information on UK buses and
coaches -routes, bookings and general information.

theTravelPlanner.co.uk

sustainable and ethical travel

theTravelPlanner

Bus and Coach Travel

Long distance bus and coach travel
is a far cry from the cramped buses of old with new luxury serviced
buses available now on most long distance routes. It is still
one of the cheapest means of transport, as well as being environmentally
efficient with figures quoted as low as 20g of CO2 per passenger
kilometre. However the UK still suffers from a lack of a strong
integrated transport policy and the problem for coaches is dealing
with arrival in major conurbations.

We applaud the proposals by George
Monbiot that intercity coach stations be relocated to motorway
hubs served by high speed luxury coaches in dedicated lanes that
ply the motorways, with local shuttle services into the urban
centres.

Many bus companies are now working
towards low carbon fleets. Leading the way is Transport
for London, who have aims for every one of Londons 8000 buses
to be hybrid powered by 2012 in order to cut emissions by 30-40%.
Elsewhere The Hydrogen Bus Alliance has been looking at the possibilities
of hydrogen power. Some cities have managed to put put back in
place Tram or Light Rail systems, but a lot more are yet to be
realised -strange that Britain lost all its trams when much of
Europe still has working systems in inner cities.

Have
a look at the National Express website for UK bookings. Options
in Europe are greater -you might refer to Busabout or Eurolines
for European coach travel. To find out about buses in the big
cities, your might check on the websites of local
metro and rail companies, as they are often integrated.

Further afield, bus travel can
be a great way to get to know the local people, although not
always comfortable and you do need to keep an eye on your possessions.